Today I brewed the first version of my “Gimp Biscuit” E.S.B. Went very well- hit all of my mash and gravity numbers dead-on. More details after I do the math (or, more precisely, plug my results into BeerSmith and have it do the math).
Still having trouble getting the wort chilled quickly. Could be that my 25′ immersion chiller just isn’t up to the task of cooling down a 5-gallon boil in summertime…
Created a 1L starter for the Safeale S-04 that I’ll used with the “Gimp Biscuit” I’m brewing tomorrow.
I love this yeast! Very short lag, fast-as-hell fermentation, and flocculates like a pound of cement…
I know that using a starter with dry yeast is frowned upon, but I’ve had very good success doing so.
There’s a short article in this month’s Beer Advocate about Valley Malt, a new maltster in Massachusetts that is the only micro-maltster east of the Mississippi.
They create base and specialty malts, using traditional barley varieties that date back to the first New England settlers. Continue reading
I got a bottle of this from a nearby distributor. Part of their “Reserve Collection.” Looked interesting. And it is, the same way a car accident can be interesting.
I should go on record here and say that while I’m not the world’s biggest fan of Blue Moon, I do enjoy a draft of it from time to time, as it is often the best beer in a standard Continue reading
Today I bottled my West Coast Evaporated Water Beer (a.k.a. California Steam / California Common). Yield was exactly what I expected (just under two cases). A two-hour workday, boil to cleanup, so it went smoothly.
I’m excited about how this turned out but am a bit concerned that both it and my Bavarian Continue reading
Any day that you buy supplies to make beer is a good day.
Today I ordered the ingredients for my “Gimp Biscuit.” I decided to go with the slightly more British-y S-04 over the more neutral Nottingham yeast.
I also ordered supplies to make an ale version of a Bavarian dunkel. I drank a ton of Dunkel when I was in Munich this summer and now consider myself well-acquainted with the nuances of the style. Plus, I happen to have an extra packet of Fermentis Continue reading
I’ve been toying with a recipe that features Biscuit Malt (a toasted malt with a nice, shortbready nose). I have two ideas for this: one is an ESB (British Extra Special Bitter), and the other is a Belgian something. Here is what I have for the British version:
Since this is my first post, I thought it would be helpful to provide links to some good homebrewing resources.
